The move is good news for Iowa Homeless Youth Centers, even though it's being kicked out of its longtime location.

Young people outside the homeless-teen hangout waiting for dinner to be served at the Outreach Drop in Center at 7th Street and Grand Avenue is a common sight.

Neighborhood outreach officer Sgt. Lori Neely said she knows how they wind up there.

"They become homeless for one of two reasons: either they've been subject to a lot of abuse and they run away or they've aged out of the foster care system," Neely said.

The block where homeless youths have congregated for 25 years will become a parking ramp, so the drop-in center will move a block over to 612 Locust St.

The building on Locust Street has been vacant for a decade. It was most recently a bank, but before that it was the Strand Theater, the first motion picture theater in Des Moines.

The new location will be called the Youth Opportunity Center and will offer employment training, a computer lab and private meeting space for social-services partners. The location is on the bus line and skywalk system.

The facility will have nine emergency beds. Those beds will fill a huge void in the city and provide a safe place for those ages 18-22, according to IHYC Director Toby O'Berry.

Thursday night inside the empty building at 612 Locust Street, employees and board members of IHYC gathered for a fundraising update. IHYC bought the building for $525,000 and renovations will cost just under $1 million.

The city of Des Moines has big plans for redevelopment of the 700 block of Grand Avenue...that includes the old Y-W-C-A. It's good news for the city...and, it turns out...good news for the Iowa Homeless Youth Centers....even though they're being kicked out of their long-time street outreach location. It's a familiar sight downtown - young people outside the homeless teen hangout at 7th and Grand... waiting for dinner to be served....Serge ant Lori Neely knows how they wind up here. 9:09-"they become homeless for one of two reasons, either they've been subject to a lot of abuse, and they run away or they've aged out of the foster care system." ...but this block where they've congregated for 25 years will become a parking ramp - so this outreach drop in center will move a block over to 612 Locust. 15:44-"every person deserves a home right? Especially every child." Inside that empty building gathered employees and board members of I-H-Y-C, Iowa Homeless Youth Centers - as well as Oscar Maciel... 37:35-"it's hard for me to see them laying there in cold, winters, that's not right." Oscar found himself homeless three years ago...and says thanks to IHYC he's able to help kids who are where he was. 37:10-"offer them a place to stay in my apartment ya know, it's not fair for them to be on the streets ...i've been there, why should they be there." It will be called the Youth Opportunity Center...offerin g employment training, a computer lab, private meeting space for social services partners AND it's on the bus line AND the skywalk system...but perhaps most importantly...it will have 9 emergency beds - filling a huge void in the city providing a safe place for those 18-22 who now wind up mixing with the adult population at Central Iowa Shelter...or elsewhere. 9:33-"what they try to do is find a nice warm place in the skywalks, stairwell, even under a bridge..." This non- descript building, has been vacant for a decade... it was a bank... obviously... 43:54-"we'll have donors come in for a tour and i'll say you're welcome to make any deposit you like but no withdrawals.. ...but Iowans of a certain vintage will remember the building as home of the Strand Theater, the first motion picture theater in Des Moines...by next year, 612 Locust will serve the public once again. 38:15-"yeah, it's a big deal..." IHYC bought the building for 525 thousand dollars - renovations will cost just under a million dollars. If you'd like to donate to their capital campaign go to their website -